US Department of Labor investigation finds Chicago construction employer exposed workers to continued safety hazards, proposes $265K in penalties

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US Department of Labor investigation finds Chicago construction employer exposed workers to continued safety hazards, proposes $265K in penalties CHICAGO – The U.S. Department of Labor has cited a Calumet City-based residential construction and carpentry employer after two separate investigations into its continued failure to provide fall protection for workers. The department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration investigated two worksites operated by Martin Araujo – doing business as Araujo Construction Corp. – and found that carpenters and general construction laborers were installing roof rafters and roof sheeting without fall protection, exposing them to falls of up to 25 feet. OSHA cited Araujo Construction with two willful violations for not providing fall protection, while working from heights during residential construction at the two worksites. OSHA also cited the employer with nine repeat safety violations for failing to provide head and eye protection, l...
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Owner of Medford construction company sentenced to 18 months for tax crimes, making false statements to federal government

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Owner of Medford construction company sentenced to 18 months for tax crimes, making false statements to federal government
Date of action:                       Dec. 10, 2024Type of action:                      SentencingEmployers:                            Mauricio Baiense, owner, Contract Framing Builders Inc.                                                     407R Mystic Ave. Suite 34B, Medford, MA 02155Allegations:                            In April 2024, Baiense pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud the U.S. government, seven counts of failure to collect and pay over taxes, one count of aiding and assisting in the preparation of a false tax return and one count of making false statements. When questioned under oath at a U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration hearing about a fatal workplace incident involving an employee of Contract Framing Builders that occurred in March 2021, Baiense made false statements to a federal investigator, claiming the deceased employee did not work for him.Resolution:                            Mauricio Baiense was sentenced in federal district court to 18 months in prison, followed by one year of supervised release. Baiense was also ordered to pay $2,824,577 in restitution to the U.S.                                          Quote:                                     “When employers make false statements to OSHA investigators to cover up unsafe practices, they leave employees exposed to workplace injuries and deaths,” said Acting Regional Administrator Jeffrey Erskine in Boston. “We are grateful to our staff, investigative partners and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts, for the hard work they put in to ensure Mauricio Baiense will be held criminally accountable for his deceit.”Court:                                     U.S. District Court for the District of MassachusettsDocket Number:                    22-CR-10148                                                                                                                                                # # # Media Contact:James C. Lally, 617-565-2074, lally.james.c@dol.govRelease Number:  24-2566-BOS

Published at December 31, 2024 at 04:00AM
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